Big Sky Bust-Up

A Democratic ploy to hold Montana's Senate seat backfires.

Aug. 8, 2014 6:16 p.m. ET

The media loves to hype the grass-roots tussles in competitive GOP primaries, but there's a story in the Democratic Party's own failing backroom-nomination strategy. Witness Montana, where a carefully orchestrated plan to elevate a handpicked Senate candidate is backfiring.

Montana Sen. John Walsh announced Thursday he's dropping out of the general election race for the seat he was appointed to in February. That appointment was a Harry Reid special, the Senate Majority Leader having convinced the White House in December...